Scottish Executive

Agriculture and Fisheries Council

Mr Alasdair Morrison (Western Isles) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will report on the outcome of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council held in Brussels on 26 May 2003.

Ross Finnie: The European council met in Brussels on 26 May in order to discuss agriculture and fisheries.

  On agriculture, the Commission reported the outcome of a recent scientific round table discussion on the co-existence of GM and non-GM crops and promised to table guidelines in July. While there was broad support for some degree of harmonisation of approaches across the EU, a number of member states argued in favour of legislation rather than guidelines as the appropriate way forward. The UK welcomed the Commission’s initiative, while noting that the UK Government had promoted a public debate on GMOs which was on-going. Any guidelines would be considered in the light of that debate.

  The presidency, with the Commission, met all member states individually to discuss progress on the Common Agricultural Policy reform negotiations. The UK made clear its commitment to bringing these negotiations to a successful conclusion in June, emphasising its support for the broad approach proposed by the Commission and the importance of agreeing market-oriented reforms which give producers a sound basis on which to plan for the future. The outcome, however, had to be fair and balanced overall, not least in its treatment of Rural Development funding.

  In accordance with the new rules of procedure for conducting council business, a number of other business items were tabled in written form: a Commission report on the feasibility of a positive list of materials for inclusion in animal feed; information from the Commission on a recent proposal regarding feed hygiene and on the Rapid Alert system for Food and Feed; the regular two-monthly report from the Commission on BSE, and a request from Germany for a progress report on plans to amend existing rules for the protection of animals during transport. The UK welcomed the Commission’s intention to bring forward legislative proposals on this last point.

  On fisheries, there was a short discussion about the Commission's proposal for a new fishing effort regime in Western Waters (Com (2002) 739 final). There is some uncertainty about the legal status in the current arrangements (set out in Regulations (EC) No 685/95 and (EC) No 2027/95). The aim of the Commission and the presidency is therefore to introduce new legislation as soon as possible in order to remove that uncertainty. The discussion was based on a presidency questionnaire and centred on the scope and nature of possible new controls to limit fishing activity in this area: whether to use effort or capacity controls; which fisheries should be covered, and what vessels should be included. No decisions were taken and it is not yet clear when the proposals will return to council for decision.

  In addition, the Commission circulated a note asking member states to submit comments on the European Parliament’s call for an additional 150 million euros to address the socio-economic consequences of cod recovery measures.

Anti-Social Behaviour Orders

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many anti-social behaviour orders have been applied for by each local authority in each year since their introduction and, of these, how many were granted.

Ms Margaret Curran: Anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) were introduced by section 19 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and came into effect in April 1999. Information on the number of ASBOs applied for by each local authority in the periods 1 December 1999 to 30 November 2000 and 1 December 2000 to 30 November 2001 is set out in the following table.

  This information is collated by the Chartered Institute of Housing who prepare an annual report on use of ASBOs in Scotland, which is commissioned and funded by the Scottish Executive. Copies of the most recent report, Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and Anti-Social Behaviour in Scotland: A study of the use of Evictions and ASBOs in Scotland, which was published in December 2002, are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 25791).

  ASBOs by Local Authority

  

 Local Authority
 01 
  December 1999 to
30 November 2000
 01 
  December 2000 to
30 November 2001


 ASBO Applied 
  For
 ASBO Granted
 ASBO Applied 
  For
 ASBO Granted


 Aberdeen City
 15
 9
 9
 9


 Aberdeenshire
 0
 0
 1
 1


 Angus
 0
 0
 2
 0


 Argyll and Bute
 0
 0
 0
 0


 City of Edinburgh
 19
 11
 16
 9


 Clackmannanshire
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Dumfries and Galloway
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Dundee City
 11
 7
 10
 8


 East Ayrshire
 11
 0
 1
 0


 East Dunbartonshire
 0
 0
 1
 0


 East Lothian
 0
 0
 0
 0


 East Renfrewshire
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Falkirk
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Fife
 5
 7
 14
 14


 Glasgow
 7
 3
 5
 5


 Highland
 1
 1
 1
 0


 Inverclyde
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Midlothian
 0
 0
 1
 0


 Moray 
 1
 1
 3
 2


 North Ayrshire
 0
 0
 0
 0


 North Lanarkshire
 7
 1
 14
 5


 Orkney Islands
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Perth and Kinross
 5
 3
 1
 1


 Renfrewshire
 0
 0
 2
 2


 Scottish Borders 
 4
 2
 9
 3


 Shetland Islands 
 0
 0
 0
 0


 South Ayrshire
 0
 0
 0
 0


 South Lanarkshire
 5
 3
 4
 2


 Stirling 
 0
 0
 1
 0


 West Dunbartonshire
 4
 4
 5
 5


 West Lothian
 1
 1
 0
 0


 Total
 96
 53
 100
 66*



  Note:

  *Of the remaining 34 out of 100, five were withdrawn as the persons concerned agreed to modify behaviour; 17 were on-going and two had been rejected by the court. The researchers had no information on the outcome of the remaining 10 applications.

Anti-Social Behaviour Orders

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have refused to use anti-social behaviour orders.

Ms Margaret Curran: Section 19 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 gave local authorities the power to apply for anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs). Following an audit undertaken by the Sociable Neighbourhood National Co-ordinator, our understanding is that no local authorities have made a policy decision not to use ASBOs.

Anti-Social Behaviour Orders

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering extending the right to apply for an anti-social behaviour order (ABSOs) to organisations other than local authorities and, if so, which organisations are under consideration.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Executive extended the power to apply for ASBOs to registered social landlords in the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003. This provision will be commenced shortly.

  We will consult on proposals for inclusion in the Anti-Social Behaviour Bill before the summer recess.

Dentistry

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the free dental check referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland will be an (a) basic check costing £6.65, (b) more extensive clinical examination costing £9.95 or (c) full case assessment costing £20.80.

Malcolm Chisholm: Our intention is that free dental checks, when introduced, will extend to the three categories outlined above, subject to (a) the clinical need of the individual patient and (b) meeting the criteria specified in the statement of dental remuneration.

Enterprise

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what risk assessment procedures exist within the enterprise network to minimise any exercise of bad commercial judgement and waste of public money.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Management Statements between the Scottish Executive and the enterprise networks require that risk assessment is incorporated into all project appraisals, that guidance in the Scottish Public Finance Manual is observed and that appraisals follow HM Treasury guidance in Economic Appraisal in Central Government: A Technical Guide for Departments . The Management Statements also require that Scottish Enterprise employ the Gateway process in managing large scale risky projects and that Highlands and Islands Enterprise employ a similar approach.

  The enterprise networks maintain risk registers as a tool in managing risk. The Executive conducts quarterly review meetings with the enterprise networks on their risk management procedures which consider, among other things, corporate risk registers.

Fisheries

Mr Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what performance targets have been set for the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency for 2003-04.

Ross Finnie: For the year 2003-04 the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency’s financial resources will provide for the following inputs from the surveillance and enforcement assets at its disposal:

  

 Air
 Total flying hours contracted
 1,800


 Sea
 Total available patrol days
 1,256


 Land
 Total available British Sea 
  Fishery Officer enforcement days
 8,008



  Based on these inputs, I have set the following targets for the financial year 2003-04:

  

 Aerial Surveillance


 - per cent of hours flown on 
  task
 83%


 - cost per hour flown on task
 £1,348


 Marine Surveillance


 - uptake as a % of 
  available patrol days
 97%


 - cost per effective patrol 
  day
 £4,360


 Sea Fisheries 
  Inspectorate


 - per cent of total tonnage landed 
  into Scottish ports:


 - checked against logsheet
 80%


 - cost per catch inspection
 £110


 Cases for Prosecution


 - Cases for prosecution to 
  be reported within six weeks of offences being detected
 96%


 - number of cases where court 
  proceedings are taken or the imposition of a PF fine, as 
  percentage of offences reported to prosecuting authorities
 90%


 Efficiency


 - cash-releasing efficiency 
  gain
 1.0%



  The Chief Executive will be directly accountable to me for the achievement of these targets, which will be reported in the agency's annual report.

Fisheries

Mr Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what performance targets have been set for the Fisheries Research Services for 2003-04.

Allan Wilson: I have set the following targets for Fisheries Research Services (FRS) for the financial year 2003-04.

  Delivery of Service:

  To achieve 93% of the performance targets set in the schedules to the Service Level Agreement.

  To achieve 85% of the milestones agreed for research and development projects.

  To achieve an output of 1.2 publications per scientific member of staff.

  To produce 20 information leaflets and 10 major articles in the industry press.

  Quality of Service:

  To submit the scientific work of the Fisheries Management Programme to a peer review during 2003-04, and to put in place an agreed action plan to implement recommendations.

  To achieve accreditation by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service of the monitoring programmes for six new areas of work.

  Efficiency Targets:

  92% of costs to be recovered from external customers (other than those agreed to be undertaken at marginal or shared costs), with a limit of £4 millions on external income.

  To restrict administrative staff costs to a maximum of 17% of the total staff costs.

  To achieve a research vessel utilisation of 96%, operating at a daily cost of £11,685 for Scotia and £2,845 for Clupea.

  To achieve cash releasing efficiency gains to the value of 1% of FRS’ budget.

  These targets provide a sound and challenging basis for evaluating the agency’s on which it will be accountable to me.

Maternity Services

Frances Curran (West of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many babies have been born en route from the west Dunbartonshire area to the (a) Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley and (b) Queen Mother Hospital, Glasgow in each of the last five years.

Malcolm Chisholm: In each year, for each hospital, there were very few deliveries en route from the west Dunbartonshire area to the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley and Queen Mother Hospital, Glasgow. To reduce the risk of indirect identification of individuals, the figures are not shown.

  There are no discernible trends, although figures for Royal Alexandra Hospital are lower than those for the Queen Mother Hospital.

Medication

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what new drugs have been approved in the last three years for treating rheumatoid arthritis and how many patients are being treated with each such drug.

Malcolm Chisholm: The licensing of medicines is reserved and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

  The MHRA has advised that, according to their licensing records, nine products with new active substances were granted marketing authorisations for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in the period 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2002. These are Remicade, Enbrel, Arcoxia, Auxib, Exxiv, Turox, Seractil, Celebrix and Solexa. Also, in this period 284 marketing authorisations were granted for medicines indicated for rheumatoid arthritis. However, these drugs may also be used for other indications.

  The information requested on how many patients are being treated with each drug is not available centrally. The use of some of these treatments depends on the clinical judgement of specialists experienced in the management of rheumatoid arthritis. Data on drugs dispensed in hospitals is not held centrally. Centrally collected data relates to items dispensed in the community by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors and is not patient specific.

Mental Health

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current average waiting time is for an appointment with a child psychologist.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.

NHS Staff

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to increase the number of NHS chiropodists by expanding training places.

Mr Jim Wallace: The allocation of places to specific subject areas is rightly a matter for individual institutions.

  Higher education institutions are autonomous bodies and legislation precludes ministers from directing funds to particular institutions or courses. The Scottish Higher Education Funding Council is responsible for allocating places to broad subject groups and for taking a strategic overview of provision in key areas.

Organ Retention

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any brains have been removed from people with mental illness following their deaths in the last 10 years.

Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not available. Where a post-mortem examination is carried out to establish the cause of death the removal of the brain may be necessary for diagnostic purposes. This would happen whether or not someone was suffering from a mental illness.

  The whole issue of retention of organs following post-mortem examination has been examined in detail by the Independent Review Group on Retention of Organs at Post-Mortem. The group has looked at both types of post-mortem examination: hospital post-mortem examinations undertaken for the purposes of diagnosis, and post-mortem examinations instructed by the procurator fiscal, who has a duty to investigate all sudden, suspicious, accidental and unexplained deaths. I expect to receive a report in the autumn.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring information it has from HM Prison Kilmarnock regarding the number of staff in post and applicants for employment, training and promotion by reference to their racial group.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  None. Premier Prison Services is solely responsible for such matters.

Tourism

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to give responsibility for tourism to its Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Department.

Mr Jack McConnell: Responsibility for tourism rests with the Tourism, Culture and Sports Group, which is part of the Education Department. The group reports directly to the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Mr Frank McAveety. The co-ordination of activity and close working relationships between that group and the Enterprise,Transport and Lifelong Learning Department and between the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport and the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning will continue.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Parliament Contracts

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Presiding Officer from whom the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) buys its electricity and what proportion is generated from renewable resources.

Mr George Reid: The SPCB currently utilises City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) contracts for the supply of electricity to CEC leased premises. There are two main suppliers of electricity to these buildings. Parliament Headquarters consumes the largest amount of electricity and is supplied with 100% electricity from renewable resources by Scottish Hydro Electric. The remainder of CEC leased premises are supplied by Scottish Power, with 20% of electricity generated from renewable resources.